Thy likeness begets such strange self flattery,
That touching myself, all seems done to thee.
Myself I embrace, and mine own hands I kiss,
And amorously thank myself for this.
- Sappho 600 BC
Most women who are currently without a sexual partner tend to ease
their loneliness through the intense study of bubble baths, romance
novels, and chocolate. Some women also attain emotional release during these times of stress by exploring their nether regions in solitude.
The history of female masturbation is largely one of censorship.
Before
Louis Pasteur enlightened us on the presence of germs in the 1870s,
masturbation was blamed for all sorts of diseases including syphilis, gonorrhea, dementia, blindness, and infertility1.
During
a brief period of confusion, Victorian doctors prescribed vibrator-like
devices for women suffering from 'female hysteria'. Some even
administered the therapeutic touch themselves2.
In
1994, US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders was dismissed because of
public condemnation over her casual aside at an AIDS conference that
perhaps masturbation should be taught in school.
In 1999,
the state of Alabama in the US passed a law penalizing sex toy
retailers with as much as one year in prison plus a $10,000 fine.
Alabama stores package sex toys as massage devices while the
constitutionality of the law is decided in court3.
Common euphemisms for female masturbation include frigging, fingering,
diddling, jilling off, petting the kitty, flicking the bean, rolling the
trackball, tickling the tulips, and unbuttoning the fur coat.
Compared to male masturbation,
female masturbation is far more variable. Some women report multiple
orgasms and many others report an inability to climax. This may have
something to do with the complexity of female genitalia. The part you
see is actually just the front end of a very complicated system.
Comparing men's genitalia to women's is somewhat like comparing your
common kitchen sink to the plumbing within a British hotel.
Techniques among women are similarly variable. Many women simply caress
themselves or squeeze their thighs together. Others employ running water
from a bath or shower, or utilize household items and/or vegetables.
Some women also purchase devices designed specifically for their sexual
pleasure. These tools can be found under the broad header of 'marital
aids'. This term is perhaps ironic since the huge majority of
pilgrimages with these appliances are solo trips.
In fact, a
great deal of the problem with women's sexual gratification is their own
general ignorance of the anatomy involved. A woman who is totally
unacquainted with her own body is relatively unlikely to find someone
capable of satisfying her, even to her own apparently inferior
standards.
While some women can achieve orgasm through vaginal
insertion, the majority climax primarily through friction to the
clitoris. In the end, most women find that female masturbation involves
more than just poking fun at yourself.
1 See The Dreaded 'M' Word by Joycelyn Elders, MD.
2 See In the History of Gynecology, a Surprising Chapter by Natalie Angier.
3 See Shock Value: The Joystick Nation by David Kushner for the Village Voice.
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